NATIONAL CUSTOMER CODE – PROCUREMENT CHECKLIST

Edge2020 & Edge Utilities are proud members of the National Customer Code.

If you are considering using an energy broker or consultant to support you in your energy needs, please read this first – National Customer Code-Procurement-Checklist

This guide has been created by the National Customer Code for Energy Brokers, Consultants and Retailers to assist you navigate key terms and conditions in your energy procurement contracts to ensure that you are making informed decisions about costs, commissions and fee structures, including any ongoing fees and terms.

It also includes practical questions to ask your broker or consultant if you need more information.

If you have any questions about your energy needs, please call us on 1800 334 336 or email save@edgeutilities.com.au

 

3 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ENERGY BROKERS

Securing the best Energy Deal for your business should be one of the easiest things to do in a business, right? Wrong! Without the right guidance and information, it can also be one of the costliest.

A simple way to reduce the stress and increase your chances of locking yourself into the wrong deal is to reach out and sort the help of an Energy Broker. Not only will they save you time and energy, but they’ll also get you the best deal for your business.

Despite this, many people are still under the misconception that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. We’ve picked the top three misconceptions about Energy Brokers.

  1. Are Energy Brokers expensive?

Simple answer, nope.

This is probably the biggest mix-up out there. Energy Brokers help you at their own expense and are free for businesses like yours.

Most Energy brokers are paid a commission. At Edge Utilities, we earn between 1% – 2.5% on the energy component, paid by your chosen retailer, should you wish to contract with them.

If you decide not to contract, we don’t get paid. No deal. No pay!

  1. Do Energy Brokers act in your best interests?

You may be wondering… if an Energy Broker is free and gets commission, won’t they just go with their favourite retailers for the highest commission?

It’s easy to see how this could happen… and yes, it does happen! If a retailer is offering more commission, it seems obvious which deal, they would recommend, right?

This isn’t the case at Edge Utilities. Our biggest interest is to help a business owner choose a contract that’s right for them. What would you think would happen if the business is unhappy with their bill when they receive it?

They’ll go elsewhere and let other business around them know. Consequently, so does the commission. So, keeping everyone happy for as long as possible is the goal for Edge Utilities.

  1. Wouldn’t a retailer prefer working with the individual over a broker?

Not necessarily! A broker will assess your contracts and find a retailer with T&Cs to match your business needs. We do all the leg work and will also ensure all documents are filled out correctly, so you can do what you do best.

Another thing to remember is that most retailers love Energy Brokers. Paying a broker’s commission to bring in customers is a lot cheaper than paying employees to develop business.

Edge Utilities works for you

We will offer expertise, access to many options, and the ability to negotiate the best rates. Our job is to ensure your timing to enter a retail contract considers the underlying markets that ultimately drive your costs (which we analyse daily), to ensure you don’t end up on penalty rates, and to go to market to get you the best deal on the day we both decide to do that.

And did you know, we can also invoice?

Now is a good time to talk about your current agreements and if you have other sites that need this attention, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Call us on 1800 334 336 or email save@edgeutilties.com.au

NEM BACK IN BLACK

On Wednesday last week the Energy Security Board (ESB) released a statement outlining that they had finalised advice on the redesign of the national electricity market (NEM) and handed the report to the Energy National Cabinet Reform Committee. This advice comes from a 2019 request to redesign the market to support the orderly transition to a modern energy system that allowed a rapid increase in the growth of large and small scale renewable energy.

Details of the advice is not publicly available but wording in the media release indicates that coal fired generation will play a key role in the transition. The statement outlines that there must be a coordination of the exit of aging coal fueled generation to maximise the opportunities and minimise risks associated with the transition to deliver affordable, smart, and clean energy.

The ESB consulted widely with industry stakeholders, conChanges to the generation mixsumer bodies, academics, government bodies and interested parties over the last two years. An options paper was released in April and the final advice is expected to closely reflect the options discussed.

Key areas we expect to be tackled in the final redesign advice is preparing for the older coal fired generation retirement, backing up power system security, unlocking benefits and opening the grid to cheaper large-scale renewables.

In preparing for the retirement of the older coal fired generation, the ESB want to give an incentive for the right mix of resources including renewables and non-renewable generation. This was to restore confidence in consumers that energy will be available when required and the mix will include intermittent generation like wind and solar as well as firm dispatchable generation like gas.

To tackle the need for a more secure power system, the ESB will require different ancillary services like inertia, voltage, and frequency control. A market for these services will be required to ensure the procurement and dispatch of these services save money while keeping the network electrically secure.

Further work will also include unlocking the benefits for all energy consumers to gain the advantages of rooftop solar PV, batteries, and smart appliances. Improvement in these areas may also include how consumers source their energy.

As generation is only part of the equation the need to reform the way electricity is transported is also a key redesign topic. Upgrading the network with the construction of transmission lines will reduce congestion and allow cheaper generation to be built in regional areas and improve the diversification of the grid by opening up more geographic locations.

The question most end users are asking is who is paying for all these improvements. As usual the end user will pay. The ESB is understood to be recommending capacity payments for electricity generators to remain online. These generators are likely to be the older coal fleet so consumers will be paying to keep higher carbon intensive technologies online rather than supporting renewables.

This situation will pay generators an available payment to generate when required. In reality, these units will not generate unless the market is at the point of load shedding.

Capacity payments are used in the Western Australian electricity market, under their current arrangements, generators receive capacity credits in line with their units generating capacity.

In the NEM if capacity payments are introduced, they will essentially offset the Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader (RERT) costs currently used to provide a similar service.

EDGE NEWS – JULY NEWSLETTER

In this issue we look at the following;

  • We recently contracted 3 of Brisbane’s Largest Towers. How do we do it?
  • What is causing the increase in the spot &futures market prices?
  • What is aggregated electricity procurement and should you do it?

National NAIDOC week was celebrated during July and Edge acknowledge the Turral and Yuggera peoples as the traditional owners of the land on which our offices sit. We pay respect to elders past, present and future.

BRISBANE BASED BUSINESS CHARGING AHEAD

Currently Lithium-ion batteries provide various benefits over conventional batteries including charge time and weight. Li-S Energy is hoping to use lithium sulphur batteries which have a longer life, higher energy density and are even lighter than Lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium sulphur batteries can be cycled 600 cycles which is more than the current batteries. Advancement in this technology comes as a result of a joint venture between Deakin University and BNNT Technologies. Deakin University researched boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) which are pivotal to the advancement. Through the joint venture, BNNT Technologies will manufacturing the batteries.

BNNTs were only discovered in 1995, they are a very tough material comprising of nanotubes of Carbon, Nitrogen and Boron atoms. Until recently the challenge for these products was to develop them outside the lab and reduce the cost for them to be made.

The cost to produce the BNNT has been around $1M per kilogram, now the BNNT manufacturing facility at Deakin University’s Geelong campus has been setup to produce 50kg of BNNT per year per manufacturing module per shift.

The lithium-ion battery market is worth about $47.5 billion and is expected to double by 2025. A representative of the company would not state how many batteries could be made each year but believes the batteries would be competitive with other lithium-ion batteries.

Reducing the weight of batteries is crucial to the long-term success of EV’s and other devices. Li-S Energy believe removing the heavy elements that are in a lithium-ion batteries and are not required in lithium sulphur batteries will make the lithium sulphur battery very cost competitive considering the higher energy density.

Li-S Energy is expected to be listed on the ASX in August with an expected market cap of $544 million.

AGL DEMERGER

Last week AGL shared its plans to split the existing business into two. The announcement on Wednesday was not taken well by investors as shares dropped 10% when chairman Peter Botten made the announcement. The share price continued to fall through the week closing on Friday at $8.13 well below the $17.72 price a year ago. Investors are concerned that the two entities will lack the financial capacity to grow the businesses.

Accel, the coal fired part of the business will be led by current AGL CEO Graeme Hunt while Christine Corbett will run the retail business. Accel will earn its returns from carbon intense assets so institutional investors are steering clear of the business, Accel will also retain a 15-20% ownership of AGL Australia. Apart from a lower share price pushing investors away, it is also expected dividends will continue to fall for the 2022 financial year. AGLs retail business will retain the clean energy assets and the retail business.

The previous CEO of AGL Brett Redman proposed the demerger to evolve the business in a rapidly changing marketplace. Prior to the demerger AGL had consolidated to form a vertically integrated business, this worked well over recent years however the business structure is no longer optimal.

Customers are after a cleaner alternative to coal fired generation so the retail business that will retain the customers will be merged with the carbon neutral portfolio of assets resulting in customers sourcing their power from cleaner green generation sources.

While AGLs demerger does not seem to be seen by investors as a positive direction, Edge has previously highlighted that the splitting up of generation businesses is gaining momentum overseas with many fossils fuelled businesses creating businesses to develop a green focus and meet the customers’ demands. Time will tell if the demerge strategy will benefit to AGL.

Despite the negative outlook for Accel with its fleet of coal fired assets there is a positive light at the end of the tunnel. As the existing coal fired assets are retired Accel will retain their key location on the grid. Their favourable locations on the grid will allow Accel to transform the connection points from a high carbon emitting locations to low carbon hubs as new cleaner generation and storage is installed.

EDGE IS HELPING BUSINESSES TO STEP UP THEIR CLIMATE EFFORTS

The world is changing……………………. you only have to look out the window, to see the impacts of this. No matter how you think it is occurring or who you think is contributing to it, climate change is real.

Over the last decade it has been more evident that Australia is being impacted by climate change. We have seen higher temperatures, worsening droughts and recently parts of Australia have been impacted by the worst floods in a decade. Australia has always been affected by extremes in the weather, but science shows the impact and regularity is increasing.

At Edge part of our role is to advise our clients on how to best manage risk. This is not always financial risk as most people would assume but, indirectly climate risk. This is the biggest risk many companies are facing, and this directly relates to financial risk.

Investors are starting to push companies to align their operations towards emission reduction targets and the use of sustainable practices. Many companies across Australia are pledging to reduce emissions to ‘‘net zero’’ by 2050 however, many do not have a clear strategy to reach this target.

Edge has and is currently assisting our clients with the development of low carbon business models.

When investors are weighing up the performance of a company, they are now allocating more weighting to how the company manages it sustainability.

Edge works with a range of clients including, some of the largest mining and utility companies worldwide and over the last couple of years we have developed strategies to decarbonise their businesses.

The procurement of renewable energy is just one way in which Edge is assisting our clients. We have developed sophisticated mechanisms to provide the client with access to renewable energy, environmental certificates and emission offsets while managing the price risk and uncertainty in the energy market.

Edge News – June 2021 Newsletter

As we head into a new financial year consider the usual activities at this time of year. Consumers on financial year contracts would (should!) be recontracted by now, leading to a temporary decrease in demand for forward contracts from a consumer perspective. Wholesale contract traders will be squaring away positions for financial year end, so we should expect some profit taking from those in long positions and vice versa!

One thing we all know with contracting energy… timing is everything!  Edge2020 clients provide tips on how to contract better.

We’ve been working with some amazing clients these past couple of months, and we highlight one in particular who was an absolute pleasure to work with (and who we helped save nearly half a million dollars).

We also review Callide – what happened and what now?

Edge News – May 2021 Newsletter

Electricity prices are market driven, and markets respond to price drivers. Too high, respond with action that drives them lower. Too low, respond with action that makes them higher. Sounds simple yes? Add in policy uncertainty, ongoing network capacity issues, and a genuine sustainability movement, and it’s not that simple at all.

We look at Q1 2021 electricity prices. Why they did what they did. What the real drivers are. Where they can go in 2021, and beyond.

We also look at Sustainability. In as little as 12 months it feels like we’ve seen Sustainability go from a compulsory annual report to a real movement with real action and actual commitments.

TAX ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES (EVs)

The Victorian government has introduced a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Subsidy. The subsidy is designed to reduce the cost of purchasing an ZEV. ZEV’s, which are more commonly known as Electric Vehicles (EVs) are increasing in popularity and the Victorian government would like to see Victorians choosing to buy an EV sooner. Buyers of electric and hydrogen vehicles will be subsidised with the goal of achieving half of all new cars sold to be zero-emission by 2030.

The subsidy is part of the Victorian Government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap, a $100 million plan to fast track the transition to ZEVs. To achieve the 50% ZEV target, $46M of funding has been allocated to support the purchase of 20,000 ZEVs. The first round includes 4000 subsidies of $3,000 to reduce the up-front cost of an EV. Further rounds will subsidise a total of 20,000 EVs over the next three years.

Victorian residents and businesses can apply for the first round of the subsidy, with electric or hydrogen vehicle purchases up to $68,740 before on-road costs eligible for the subsidy. More expensive EVs, hybrids, zero-emission motorcycles or heavy vehicles are not eligible at this stage.

The Victorian government has also committed to buying $10M worth of zero-emissions cars over the next three years, this will equate to about 400 vehicles. $19M of funding has been allocated to building 50 EV charging station throughout Victoria.

Previously, the Victorian Government released plans to tax EV drivers 2.5 cents per kilometre driven each year to counteract the expected loss from fuel excises.

An average driver covers 15,000km each year so, the extra 2.5/Km would cost EV drivers an extra $375 each year on top of registration. These changes will take effect from July 2021.